Embodiments include a slider having a silicon body and at least one carbide pad structure embedded therein. At least one head structure for reading and/or writing data is located on the silicon body. The silicon body includes an air bearing surface on which the head is located. The air bearing surface also includes at least a portion of the carbide pad structure thereon. In one aspect, the metal carbide structure may be made from a material such as titanium carbide, zirconium carbide, vanadium carbide, tungsten carbide, or molybdenum carbide. In another aspect, the head may be located on the air bearing surface between carbide pad structures.
|
1. A method for forming an air bearing surface on a slider, comprising:
providing a silicon slider body;
forming at least one trench in a surface of the silicon body; and
forming a carbide structure in the at least one trench;
wherein the carbide structure is formed by a process comprising:
filling the trench in the silicon slider body so that with a metal carbide and anhydrous metal chloride material;
heating the silicon slider body so that the metal carbide and anhydrous metal chloride material becomes a melt;
after the heating the silicon slider body, cooling the silicon slider body to produce a product material from the melt; and
removing the chloride material formed from the product material.
8. A method for forming an air bearing surface on a slider, comprising:
proving a silicon slider body comprising single crystal silicon;
forming at least one trench in a surface of the silicon slider body; and
forming a structure selected from the group consisting of a carbide structure and a nitride structure in the at least one trench; and
forming the structure to extend to a position above the surface of the silicon slider body adjacent to the trench;
wherein the structure comprises the carbide structure; and
wherein the carbide structure is formed by a process comprising:
positioning a metal carbide and an anhydrous metal chloride in the trench;
forming a melt in the trench by heating the metal carbide and the anhydrous metal chloride material.
after the heating, cooling the melt to yield a cooled product material; and
removing the chloride material from the cooled product material.
2. The method as in
3. The method as in
4. The method as in
5. The method as in
6. The method as in
7. The method as in
9. The method as in
10. The method as in
11. The method as in
|
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/378,059, filed Aug. 20, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,683,753, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to disk drive systems and to read/write elements and slider devices within the systems.
Magnetic storage systems typically include a rotatable magnetic disk having concentric data tracks defined for storing data, and a magnetic recording head or transducer for reading data from and writing data to the various data tracks. In typical disk drive systems, a stack of one or more magnetic disks is mounted over a spindle on a drive motor. The system also includes a head actuator for moving the magnetic recording head relative to the disk surfaces, and electronic circuitry for processing signals to implement various functions of the disk drive.
The head is attached to a carrier or slider having an air bearing surface which is supported during operation adjacent to the data surface of the disk by a cushion of air generated by the rotating disk. The terms “head” and “slider” are sometimes both used to refer to the slider having a head attached thereon. The slider design affects the efficiency, density, speed and accuracy with which the data can be read and written to the disk. Recording density generally depends on the separation distance between the recording element of the head and the disk. As a result, lower flying heights are usually desired to achieve high areal density recording. Lower flying heights, however, can lead to undesirable interactions between the head and the disk.
As the disk generally includes a hard carbon coating, the slider is typically fabricated from a hard ceramic material so that any interactions between the disk and air bearing surface of the slider will not result in premature wear or breakage of the slider. In addition, the slider material should be relatively inert so that no chemical reactions take place on the air bearing surface. As illustrated in
Fabricating a slider from silicon presents problems because silicon is relatively soft when compared with slider materials such as Al2O3/TiC. This can lead to durability problems. In addition, silicon displays undesirable start/stop behavior on a disk when compared with other materials.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention relate to disk drive systems and components therein, including sliders and read/write elements thereon.
One embodiment includes a slider structure including a silicon body having an air bearing surface. The air bearing surface includes a silicon surface region and a metal carbide surface region. The metal carbide surface region is a part of a metal carbide structure embedded in the silicon body.
Another embodiment includes a slider having a silicon body and at least one pad structure embedded therein. At least one head structure for reading and/or writing data is located on the silicon body. The silicon body includes an air bearing surface on which the head is located. The air bearing surface also includes at least a portion of the pad structure thereon.
Still another embodiment includes a disk drive for reading and writing disks. The disk drive includes at least one disk and a read/write head associated with the surface of the disk. The disk drive includes a slider onto which the read/write head is provided. The slider includes a silicon body and an air bearing surface on the silicon body. The air bearing surface includes a silicon surface region and a metal carbide surface region, with the metal carbide surface including a portion of the at least one carbide structure embedded in the silicon body. The disk drive also includes an actuator for supporting the slider and positioning the head across the disk, as well as a rotatable hub for mounting the disk.
Embodiments also relate to methods for forming an air bearing surface on a slider. One such embodiment includes providing a silicon slider body and forming at least one trench on a portion of one side of the silicon body. A carbide or nitride structure is formed in the trench. Preferably the air bearing surface includes both a portion of the silicon body and a portion of the carbide structure. Certain embodiments may also include forming at least one of a read element and a write element on the air bearing surface after forming the carbide or nitride structure.
In one aspect of certain embodiments, a carbide structure may be formed by a process including filling the trench with a metal carbide and anhydrous metal chloride material and heating the material to produce a melt. The material is then cooled and the chloride material formed from the melt is removed. Preferably the remaining carbide material is then planarized.
Still another embodiment relates to a method for forming a slider including forming at least one trench into a silicon body and forming an air bearing surface pad structure in the trench that extends to a position at or above the silicon body. A read/write head is then formed on the silicon body after forming the air bearing surface pad structure.
Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings which, for illustrative purposes, are schematic and not necessarily drawn to scale.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to
Formation of silicon based sliders for read/write heads for recording applications has not been favored because single crystal silicon has a lower hardness and less resistance to chipping than other materials such as aluminum oxide/titanium carbide. The hardness and resistance to chipping are important in the regime of near contact recording, for durability purposes. Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention relate to processes and structures which may relate to a silicon slider including at least one hard carbide pad embedded in a portion of the silicon slider air bearing surface prior to forming the read/write head element on the air bearing surface of the slider.
Preferred structures provide numerous advantages including the ability to efficiently produce advanced read/write structures after forming the air bearing surface. This means that the processing steps used for forming the air bearing surface which may, for example, include elevated temperatures, will not effect the read/write structure. By forming the read/write head element on the air bearing surface, preferred embodiments also provide the ability to precisely control the height of the read/write head elements, which permits the elements to be spaced very close to the surface of a disk during operation.
Processing steps according to one embodiment of the present invention are described below with reference to
In one embodiment, an anhydrous metal chloride is used to create the carbide layer 106 through an interaction with a metal carbide which may include, for example, calcium carbide and/or aluminum carbide. The metal carbide precursor layer 106 may be deposited using a technique such as, but not limited, to physical vapor deposition (PVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), or a spray deposition technique. The metal carbide precursor layer 106 is then heated to a temperature sufficient to produce a melt (for example, at least 450° C.). The heating cycle may be very short, for example, in certain embodiments, less than one minute. The heating may take place at atmospheric or vacuum pressure. A short anneal step at higher temperature may also be optionally included to insure the reaction is complete. The wafer including the layer 106 is then cooled and the layer 106 includes a material including the reacted products of a metal carbide and a metal chloride region. After cooling, the surface may be rinsed with water and methanol to remove the calcium chloride. In certain embodiments the annealing may be carried out at about 800° C. to about 1000° C. for a time of up to about 48 hours.
After the carbide layer 106 is formed, an etch back and/or polishing step may be carried out to planarize the carbide as desired. In certain embodiments, the carbide is planarized to the same level with the silicon (
The slider includes openings or trenches 214 into which the carbide pad structures 202 are disposed. The air bearing surface 206 may include a plurality of carbide pads 202 that are substantially rectangular in shape when viewed from above the air bearing surface. The carbide pads (and the trenches) may be formed into any desired shape. In addition, the air bearing surface may alternatively include a single pad if desired. The size, shape, and number of pads may depend on a variety of factors, including the flight characteristics of the slider and the position of the read/write device thereon. The terms “read/write device,” “read/write head,” “read/write structure” and “head” as used herein may refer to a structure including, but not limited to one or more read elements, one or more write elements, or a combination of read and write elements.
Certain preferred embodiments include two sets of trenches, such as, for example, the trenches 214 and 216. The trenches may be formed at the same time if desired. One set of trenches 214 may include an adhesion or barrier layer therein between the silicon and the carbide pad 202. The other set of trenches 216 may include an insulating layer 220 between the silicon and the conductive layer 222. Any overfill of material from the trenches may be removed simultaneously if desired, using a method such as polishing. Once the air bearing surface pads are planarized, the non-air bearing surface pad areas may be etched or milled down below the air bearing surface. Further processing may then proceed on the recessed silicon surface.
If desired, a coating layer such as a hard carbon or a polymer may be deposited over at least a portion of the air bearing surface. Such a layer may in certain embodiments be deposited near the edges 205 of the air bearing surface to protect the slider from damage.
Embodiments of the present invention provide numerous advantages over other slider structures. Typically, the read/write structure is formed first and then the air bearing surface is formed. The air bearing surface formation may include steps such as depositing a layer over the air bearing surface and etching and/or polishing the air bearing surface. These steps may use elevated temperatures and/or chemicals which can harm the read/write head structure. By forming the air bearing surface first and then forming the read/write structure, as in certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the air bearing surface processing steps will not affect the read/write structure.
In addition, forming the slider from silicon permits a variety of read/write device structures and circuitry to be formed directly on or in the slider material, thus simplifying the process. Advanced read/write structures such as those having an AFM (atomic force microscopy) tip, or other fine, fragile structures can be formed on the air bearing surface without risk of a later processing step that requires processing conditions that might degrade the read/write device structure. A wide variety of read/write structures may be used in embodiments of the present invention. Other types read/write structures which may be utilized include, but are not limited to magnetic tunnel junction structures, thin film structures, magneto-restrictive (MR) structures, and giant magneto-resistive (GMR) structures.
Furthermore, the carbide pads and read/write structure can be formed to minimize the distance of the read/write structure from the disk during operation. In certain preferred embodiments the read/write structure is formed on the air bearing surface, which permits it to be located at a height so that it can be brought very close to the disk surface during operation. This is important because to achieve high resolution, the read/write structure should generally be very close to the disk. Mass producing a read/write structure, in which the structure is very close to the disk, is difficult using conventional read/write head and slider edge type configurations due to difficulties in dicing and handling the individual sliders precisely. By forming the read/write structure on the air bearing surface according to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, a lower level of dicing precision is necessary, thus enabling a higher production yield.
As illustrated in
In another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, a variety of materials may be used as pad structures within the air bearing surface of a slider. Some preferred materials include metal carbides such as titanium carbide, zirconium carbide, vanadium carbide, tungsten carbide and molybdenum carbide. More specifically, these carbides may include TiC, ZrC, V8C7, WC, and Mo2C. Other carbides may also be used, preferably other than silicon carbide (SiC) and those having a hardness greater than that of SiC. Certain embodiments may also utilize other materials such as nitrides, for example, aluminum nitride (AIN) as a pad material.
The disk drive system 300 may also include an actuator assembly 306 including voice coil motor assembly 308, which controls a head arm assembly which may include a positioner arm 310 and a suspension assembly 312. The suspension assembly 312 includes a slider 200 at its distal end. The slider 200 may be similar to the slider 200 described above and illustrated in
It will, of course, be understood that modifications of the present invention, in its various aspects, will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Other embodiments are possible, their specific features depending upon the particular application. For example, the preferred slider body material is single crystal silicon, although polycrystalline silicon or other materials could also be used. Furthermore, a variety of disk drive configurations, geometries, and components may be may be employed in disk drive systems in addition to those discussed above.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
7477486, | Dec 07 2005 | Western Digital Technologies, INC | Air bearing slider with a side pad having a shallow recess depth |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
5177860, | Aug 28 1990 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Manufacturing method of magnetic head |
5327310, | Jun 25 1992 | Western Digital Technologies, INC | Thin film contact recording head |
5587857, | Oct 18 1994 | MARIANA HDD B V ; HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES NETHERLANDS B V | Silicon chip with an integrated magnetoresistive head mounted on a slider |
5708540, | Nov 13 1984 | Unisys Corporation | Slider for inhibiting stiction and with backbar |
5781376, | Jan 05 1995 | TDK Corporation | Magnetic head with polycrystalline silicon layer on slide running surface |
JP59185014, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Jun 20 2003 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Jul 23 2012 | HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES NETHERLANDS B V | HGST NETHERLANDS B V | CHANGE OF NAME SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 029341 | /0777 | |
Aug 31 2016 | HGST NETHERLANDS B V | Western Digital Technologies, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 040820 | /0802 |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Aug 30 2007 | ASPN: Payor Number Assigned. |
Sep 28 2010 | M1551: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 4th Year, Large Entity. |
Nov 21 2014 | REM: Maintenance Fee Reminder Mailed. |
Apr 10 2015 | EXP: Patent Expired for Failure to Pay Maintenance Fees. |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Apr 10 2010 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Oct 10 2010 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Apr 10 2011 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Apr 10 2013 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Apr 10 2014 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Oct 10 2014 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Apr 10 2015 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Apr 10 2017 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Apr 10 2018 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Oct 10 2018 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Apr 10 2019 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Apr 10 2021 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |